Rx Jr.: ‘Pharmacy is Right for Me’ spurs youth to pursue pharmacy careers

WASHINGTON — With the aging population and the rise in the numbers of people with chronic disease states, the country has a huge need for more pharmacists, so what better place is there to look for them than the nation’s middle and high schools?

The American Pharmacists Association and OptumRx announced Thursday the launch of Pharmacy is Right for Me, an educational initiative designed to encourage students in grades 8 through 12 to pursue careers in pharmacy.

The program is designed to provide students, their families and educators with information and resources about the career opportunities available in the pharmacy field and includes materials on the history of pharmacy, groundbreaking discoveries and the challenges ahead. The centerpiece is an interactive website that includes a self-assessment test, fun facts, career profiles, video testimonials and educational requirements.

"The Pharmacy is Right for Me program is helping to increase young people’s understanding and appreciation of the broad career opportunities that exist within the pharmacy profession," APhA EVP and CEO Thomas Menighan said. "Now more than ever, pharmacists play a vital role in working alongside patients and their healthcare providers to help people better manage their health conditions. Students across the country will require access to needed tools and resource if we wish to continue meeting our nation’s needs and inspire youth to pursue careers as pharmacists."

Winn-Dixie introduces smartphone app that helps manage Rxs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Winn-Dixie is looking to help pharmacy customers better manage their prescriptions by introducing a new mobile application for iPhone, Android or Blackberry smartphones.

The Winn-Dixie pharmacy app and its mobile website, m.WinnDixieRx.com, operate on a secure network created by San Francisco-based Mscripts. The app allows customers to track prescription refill status and manage doctor and key health information, locate the nearest Winn-Dixie pharmacy, and also supports interactive SMS messaging, email, push notifications and mobile calendar integration, the companies said.

“This new app will make our guests’ busy lives easier, allowing them to take better control of their health directly from their mobile device,” Winn-Dixie group VP marketing Mary Kellmanson said. “Using the new app will help guests view and reorder prescriptions, receive alerts when their prescription is ready, set reminders to take their medications and remind them of dosage, and even remind them to schedule a doctor’s appointment.”

Adding Mscripts CEO Mark Cullen, “The Winn-Dixie pharmacy app is all about improving the relationship between the pharmacy and the patient, reducing or eliminating wait times, and enabling the pharmacists to spend more time on important things — like listening to patient questions and giving health advice. Winn-Dixie guests can refill prescriptions with a touch of a button, wherever they are. The result is a better shopping experience and better health management.”

Pulitzer Prize-winner Peggy Noonan, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and singer Diana Ross now feature on the schedule for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Annual Meeting, slated for April 21-24 in Palm Beach, Fla.

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